Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to seed planters and material handling machines, and in particular to an automated seed research plot planter.
Description of the Related Art
Seed researchers typically organize seed varieties for planting test plots by filling paper envelopes (referred to herein as seed packets) with seed and stacking them in a cardboard box to keep them in order. While planting, a worker pulls an envelope out of the box, rips off the top, and dumps the seed into the planter for each individual plot. This process is tedious, requires additional workers to ride on the planter during planting, and sometimes leads to operator error.